Wheelchairs are typically manually operated or power driven, depending on the requirements of the user. Power driven wheelchairs are driven by ground engaging wheels, with an electric motor and gearbox arrangement supplying the wheels with the necessary motion to propel the wheelchair in the desired direction. This arrangement is both bulky and heavy. Typically, a power driven wheelchair will contain more than one electric motor, gearbox and battery and have a frame adapted to support the additional weight. The additional components are required to move the wheelchair in the desired direction and supply enough torque to move the load, consisting of the wheelchair frame, drive system and user.
Manually operated wheelchairs therefore possess certain advantages over power driven wheelchairs. Manual wheelchairs are significantly lighter, allowing for a lighter construction, and have the ability to be dismantled for ease of storage and portability. Manually operated wheelchairs can therefore be transported more easily in vehicles and do not require the need for trailers or specific wheelchair carrying devices. There are also advantages with the simplicity of design of manually operated wheelchairs, as there is obviously less equipment to malfunction. In the event of a power operated wheelchair malfunctioning, it generally cannot be easily operated manually due to its weight. It is therefore desirable for a person to have both a powered and manually operated wheelchair at their disposal, adding further costs to the user.
Buildings and public infrastructure, such as railway terminals, bus stops, and footpaths, now have ramps for disabled and wheelchair access. However, some of these ramps are too steep for a user to traverse with a manually operated wheelchair and they require the assistance of an additional person. The additional person is therefore required to exert significant effort, which may result in injury to that person and/or the wheelchair user. In locations where a person, such as a staff member, is subjected to the repetitive stresses of assisting a manually operated wheelchair user up an incline repeatedly, the chance of injury is greatly increased.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the aforementioned problems and to provide the public with a useful alternative.